Longtime metal fans may remember a time in the mid 80’s when ‘Power Metal’ signified something dangerous and new in music. I was in my early teens at the time and I spent every dollar I made from my paper-route, buying all the latest releases. Iron Maiden were my Gods (they still are), and the Power Metal scene that was developing at made me insane with metallic frenzy. I bought a tape copy of Freedom’s Rise and it blew me away. It is one of my favorites to this day.

Highly influenced by Maiden and Priest, the “Freedom’s Rise” is a lost classic. Their early signature sound was characterized by complex drum patterns of Frank Cortese, the chaotic and furious riffing of Tony Truglio and Pete McCarthy and the punchy bass lines of Matt Vinci. Their singer, Andy Michaud, had a unique vocal style, alternating between mid range power-shouting like Matt Barlow at his most intense, punctuated with Ian Gillanesque Banshee screams. Speaking of Matt Barlow, Iced Earth have cited Liege Lord as an important influence.

Overall, what makes Liege Lord so effective is the contrast they develop in their music as bass, drum, guitar and vocal lines grapple with each-other like a musical counterpart of war. The resulting sound is wild and violent, majestic and immense, a perfect complement to their brilliant and ambitious lyrical explorations of epic themes. Occupying a similar soundworld to Omen “Battle Call”, Savage Grace “Master of Disguise”, Manowar “Hail to England”, and Manilla Road “Mystification”, Liege Lord are classic blood-thirsty Power Metal at its most epic, direct and forceful. The brilliant artwork of Eric Larnoy completes this package in perfect style.

To gain an insight into the heady nascent years of Power Metal’s inception, check out the 2000 re-release of this classic through Old Metal Records or find an old copy of this classic on vinyl.

Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details

5

Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods
that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.

4-4.5

Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a
clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about
dropping some bones on these.

3.5

Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some
filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.

3

Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a
half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands
are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.

2-2.5

Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
There is much better metal out there.

1-1.5

Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.

0

Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style.
Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings
is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a
qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being
technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent
broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big
financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually
adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to
keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band,
label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.